Magnolia will soon be better connected to the citywide bike network with a new protected bike lane (PBL) along Gilman Avenue W, but not without a few bumps (pun intended) along the way. We’ve heard you Magnolia, and we recognize your concerns about the project.

Some residents feel the community input process wasn’t thorough.

We take community engagement very seriously. As we complete this important bike network infrastructure, we’ll continue to work with any neighbors who have questions or concerns. We worked hard to include community feedback into the design and apologize if neighbors feel their voices haven’t been heard. To receive email on construction updates and provide feedback, contact Dan Anderson, Dan.A.Anderson@Seattle.gov.

Traffic backups at the W Emerson Pl and Gilman Ave W intersection.

Yes, we reconfigured the 4-way stop intersection to improve safety for all travelers at the intersection, adding space to separate cars from cyclists traveling to and from the popular Ship Canal Trail. We’re continuing to monitor the impact on drivers during peak times and potential for back ups. In the meantime, try these alternative routes into Magnolia:

W Dravus St and the Magnolia Bridge farther south.

Or if you live or work in north Magnolia, you can take a right at 21st Ave W to W Commodore Way, leading to the Fort St Bridge over the railroad tracks on 27th Ave W.

Got that? 😆

Bike commuters are frustrated with the setup during the construction phase.

We share your frustration. Sometimes the best organized plans have a SNAFU. In this case, delayed delivery of critical materials like posts and hardware have contributed to the delay. But good news! Crews installed posts along the PBL this week, separating cyclists from traffic, and next week new pavement markings will be installed to increase visibility and safety. And coming soon, a new bike signal at W Dravus St will help mitigate confusion by making it more obvious where the lanes are, helping travelers adjust to the new layout.

We thank the community for your feedback and patience while the work is completed. We’re committed to monitoring the new street design and intersections both during and after construction to see what’s happening.

The new Gilman Ave W protected bike lane:

When it comes to bike commuting, the old street layout wasn’t hospitable to all abilities or ages. The upgrade will directly connect Magnolia neighborhood cyclists with three of the city’s key bikeways:

Elliot Bay Trail to downtown

Ship Canal Trail to Fremont Bridge, Westlake, and South Lake Union

Ballard Locks footpath to the popular Burke-Gilman Trail

Adding a two-way PBL:

Without taking away a car lane, the 1.5-mile route will add a two-way protected bike lane on the west side of the arterial; currently there’s a striped bike/parking lane on both sides of the street that sandwiches cyclists precariously between traffic that’s hurtling along at up to 40 miles-per-hour and occasional parked cars (aka, the “door zone”).

Changes to existing car lanes:

Changes won’t only protect cyclists, but by narrowing the existing car lanes, car speeds are expected to drop. Data shows that car speeds on Gilman Ave W often exceed the posted limit and there have been several serious crashes over the years.We looked at available crash data and found that there were 186 reported collisions in the project area over the past 14 years. Six of those crashes injured people. At least four cyclist and pedestrian crashes occurred at both the intersections of 20th Ave W & W Dravus St, and Gilman Ave W & W Emerson St during that time period. Exactly why we’ve focused resources on making safety improvements at both intersections by separating pedestrians and cyclists from car travel lanes.

December is always a bustling time in Seattle, but this year PayByPhone’s parking app is making the season a little easier for drivers and their wallets.

Between now and Dec. 24, new PayByPhone users will be able to park for FREE (yes, you heard right – FRREEEEE!!) when they use the app for the first time at any one of Seattle’s 12,000 on-street parking spaces. The service allows drivers to pay for parking in seconds using just their mobile phone.

We love free parking too!

Spreading holiday cheer, for all to hear:

To help spread the word, PayByPhone has enlisted help from a troop of parking elves who will be roaming Seattle and assisting first-time app users, with candy canes (CANDY!!) and gifts in tow (what!). Drivers are encouraged to ask questions about the app. However, for those who don’t spot the elves, have – no – fear: the free parking promotion will be automatically applied to those who qualify.

Found in some of Seattle’s most-frequented areas, including Downtown, Capitol Hill, and South Lake Union, PayByPhone’s features are perfect for holiday shoppers wanting a convenient way to pay. The app features:

A text reminder prior to your parking expiring.

Extend parking via phone (if time allows).

Busy drivers can even park immediately and register later for a full account.

Seattle is a vibrant, technologically innovative city and our freshly updated City design manual follows suit. Seattle Streets Illustrated, is an interactive online resource to help architects, engineers, and property owners involved in projects within street right-of-way.

Streets Illustrated is setting the standard for other major cities including New York and Los Angeles, with Seattle being one of the first major cities to adopt a completely online and interactive design manual.

Included are new standards for bicycles, transit, freight, accessibility, emergency response, and urban center design enhancements.

Image: Twelve new street types.

A New Vision for Seattle’s Streets

Seattle today is facing the challenges that come with being one of the fastest-growing major cities in the country. Our streets must continue to adapt to accommodate a multi-use system that is efficient, safe, and accessible to all travelers. Streets Illustrated provides the tools to reshape the right-of-way to meet the needs for today and the Seattle of tomorrow. Street right-of-way accounts for twenty-seven percent of city land and has a tremendous impact on how people move through the city. Explore some of Streets Illustrated‘s cool new features:

Have you ever seen a bike rider who can balance at a red light without putting a foot down? Well, you don’t have to worry that you’re not that cool – just use a bike lean rail!

City Engineer Dongho Chang shows us how it’s done (even without his bike).

Seattle is one of the first cities in the US (along with Chicago) to give bicyclists resting spots using bike lean rails. We have them all along 2nd Avenue for our new protected bike lane as part of the 2nd Ave Mobility Project.

We installed our first set of bike lean rails back in 2015 on the Burke-Gilman Trail at NE Blakeley St. At this spot, the rails are set slightly back from the intersection where they help cut down on the “crowding at the front” of the trail by bicyclists waiting to go after pedestrians cross. The rails work well at this popular biking location.

You can also find bike lean rails on 7th Avenue:

Snazzy, right?

The planters and rails on we use on 2nd Avenue are made by DezignLine from Minneapolis. For now, we are testing out these fairly new bike lean rails to see how they do – you might see more of them soon!

So far, more than 1,900 people have downloaded the app! If you haven’t jumped in yet, download the Seattle’s Safest Driver app in the App Store or Google Play. You can compete for prizes every 2 weeks and the grand prize winner will get $2,000 cash money, thanks to our safe streets partners at PEMCO Insurance.

And let’s not forget, thanks to the app’s leaderboard function, you can compete against your friends, family, and others for bragging rights.

Our director, Scott Kubly, and his arch nemesis, KTTH talk show host, Jason Rantz (ok, he’s not really a nemesis, per se – we’ll call them frenemies) are awkwardly teaming up on Vision Zero, and encouraging others to join in on the friendly (or not so friendly) competition. Check it out…

This week, the public has been asking us if the new Adaptive System we adopted on Mercer Avenue last Spring has helped ease traffic backups. The new smart technology system collects traffic data in real time, coordinating traffic signals along the corridor to move cars onto I-5 as quickly as possible so we can reduce travel time and increase reliability.

We’ve successfully decreased the time drivers sit in traffic along the corridor. For example, before installing our new system, wait times during the height of work-week rush hour backups (between 6 and 7 PM) was approximately 34 minutes. Yes, you read that correctly, during the busiest weekday peak, travelers sat in traffic for 34 minutes.

Today, during that exact same time frame, the wait is down to 17 minutes.

Is this perfect? Not by a longshot, but cutting the wait in half is a notable improvement.

More Mercer traffic improvement data:

It’s not just the worst times that have dropped under our new adaptive traffic tech. Across the board, the statistics show improvement. Below is a snapshot of the average time drivers spent in traffic pre- and post-Mercer adaptive technology:

Before the Mercer Adaptive Signal:

5 PM weekday – 14 mins.

6 PM weekday – 16 mins.

7 PM weekday – 18 mins.

After the Mercer Adaptive Signal:

5 PM weekday – 04 mins.

6 PM weekday – 06 mins.

7 PM weekday – 07 mins.

Totally recognizing that drivers would prefer to spend zero time in traffic, and would rather be at home than stuck in their cars listening to Throwback Thursday jams or news hour updates on Trump’s tweets, we remain committed to improving traffic times and reducing congestion even more. The reality is the corridor sees a high-volume of cars daily, during peak times, and we are constantly monitoring the situation.

What about pedestrian signals and walk times?

Pedestrians are also a factor in the Mercer equation. And they too have pressed us with questions. Pedestrians say the walk cycles for crossing Mercer are too short. Now, as for walk cycles, it’s important to note that East Mercer has high vehicle volumes, and in fact it’s much higher than the West side of the corridor. We heard pedestrians’ concerns about short walk times loud and clear, and recently adjusted pedestrian walk times making the following, significant adjustments.

Pedestrians should know though, that extended walk times mean fewer walk cycles. We are still working to find the best balance for pedestrians as we sync walk cycles with the car signaling to keep reducing traffic wait times.

Up for a little friendly competition and safer streets? Well, we have something for you! (We’ll ease up on the used car salesman bit in a moment.) Today, we’re kicking off Seattle’s Safest Driver, a 2-month long app-based safe driving competition – complete with prizes, bragging rights, and better driving habits.

Mmm hmm, there’s an app for that!

Better behavior behind the wheel is key to achieving our Vision Zero goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030.

How does it work?

The City of Boston ran a similar competition last year and saw the app’s most active users improve behavior, with a 35% reduction in speeding, and a 47% reduction in phone distraction. We know speeding and distraction are two of the top contributing factors to crashes, and behavior change is what we’re after, so these results are really inspiring. To develop the app, we’ve been working with Cambridge Mobile Telematics (the same team that worked with our Beantown counterparts), and we’re pretty confident Seattle-area drivers will do even better!

Step 1: Get moving with the app.

The app is free, and available for Android and iPhone.

Once you download, it’ll start tracking your trips – by car, bike, and transit (ferry, too!). You get scored for trips when you’re behind the wheel. Get feedback and tips on how to improve, and earn achievement badges. Plus, prizes – more on those below.

Residents of King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties can participate, but to be eligible for prizes, a portion of your trips must occur within the city of Seattle. Read all the fine print.

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and it’s the perfect setting for a little safest driver throw down (in between discussions about football, politics, and the weather, obvi). Settle the age-old debate of who’s the better driver. Invite your friends and family to compete and see how you rank against each other in the leaderboards. While friendly competition is fun, traffic safety is no game. Through Safest Driver, we challenge ourselves and each other to make Seattle’s streets safer for everyone.

Step 3: Compete for prizes!

We realize it takes some carrots to incentivize good behavior. Thanks to our partnership with PEMCO Insurance – a company that shares our vision for safe streets – eligible participants can compete for nearly $15,000 in prizes, including a grand prize of $2,000. That’s some serious carrots cash.

There will also be biweekly prizes throughout the 8-week competition, for a variety of categories: best driver, most improved, least distracted, most transit and bike trips, and some random drawings. Plus, the first 200 people to download the app get a $25 Amazon gift card. Seriously, thank you PEMCO. We’re excited and grateful for your partnership on this!

Let’s remember – Seattle’s first responders are counting on us to be alert whenever we see flashing lights, emergency vehicles, and incident response crews in the roadway. Unfortunately, secondary crashes involving emergency workers make up about 20 percent of all incidents, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Our state also recently passed a distracted driving law to help reduce and end all traffic-related fatalities, including those involving the community with the most to lose.

Drivers:

Slow Down and Move Over when passing by an incident scene to provide a protective buffer for you, responders, and the motorists behind you

Nearly 13% of the firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty are killed in vehicle-related incidents

Traffic incidents are the number one cause of death of EMS/EMT responders

The whole purpose of National Traffic Incident Response Week is to remind travelers to do their part whenever they roll up on a collision or see flashing lights in their rearview mirror – it means you should clear the way for first responders!

But which way?

Existing laws can be confusing, so we’ll do our best to explain.

The Seattle Fire Department reminds drivers to move RIGHT for lights and sirens. When you see first responders approaching your vehicle from any direction, that’s when the law requires you to move to the right, if you can. It’s the law (Revised Code of Washington RCW 46.61.210, to be exact).

When FIRST RESPONDERS are approaching you with flashing lights and sirens: move RIGHT to let them by.

When YOU are approaching first responders clearing an incident: move LEFT and give them space.

Got it? Great!

Being safe on our roadways and watching out for the safety of our first responders helps us all move closer to Seattle’s Vision Zero goal to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. Now, be safe out there – no matter which way you’re going!